Orlando commissioner allocates nearly $20K to replenish Lake Eola swan population
ORLANDO, Fla. - An Orlando city commissioner is proposing to spend nearly $20,000 in taxpayer funds to protect and replenish the iconic swan population at Lake Eola.
"Lake Eola isn't Lake Eola without its beloved swans," said Commissioner Patty Sheehan, who emphasized the importance of the swans to the community.
The city has approved a $19,500 expenditure to purchase six mated swan pairs to bolster the park's declining population. The funds will come from Commissioner Sheehan's District 4 discretionary budget, with $7,500 allocated for whooper swans, $7,500 for trumpeter swans, and $4,500 for black swans.
In recent months, the city has reported the loss of at least six adult swans due to bird flu and an otter attack. Additionally, several baby swans were killed by a raccoon, according to Sheehan.
Lake Eola is home to around 60 swans, primarily Polish mutes, Sheehan told FOX 35 News.
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"We have almost no Australian black swans," Sheehan noted.
Sheehan believes that purchasing the six swans as mated pairs will help sustain the swan population at Lake Eola. "I can't guarantee that nothing bad will happen, but we do want to reach a point where we have a stable population," she said.
The city is working with a breeder in Lake Butler, though a date for the swans' arrival in Orlando has not yet been set.